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Thursday, November 19, 2009

Being a good knitter does not necessarily mean you are a fast knitter. I envy those knitters who are not only very, very skilled, but also very,very fast, like my friend Esther. Watching her hands and needles flow like a well-oiled machine is truly a thing of beauty. I am not one of those knitters. My speed would be considered quite average in fact. I can get in my own flow as well, don't get me wrong, but I will never win a contest for the world's speediest knitter!

I know this is about the time you start thinking, why is she comparing herself to anyone else? Isn't the whole idea to enjoy what you do? Satisfaction comes from the process itself and completing the project, right? Of course you are right. But there are times when I wish I could knit faster so that I could complete MORE of the projects that are on my endless to knit list, especially this time of year.

Yes, I am going there...it's the holiday knitting season and if you are anything like me that means planning and knitting all of your holiday gifts in a 6 week period, or less. I have been known to finish a gift at 5pm on Christmas Eve a time or two! It seems reasonable to start this sort of thing in say January, but that never seems to work out for me. Good intentions and all that...you know... "Where am I and how did I end up in this hand basket?" sort of thing. LOL:) (My mom saw that saying on a t-shirt once and I thought it fit right in here. Maybe not. ANYway...:getting a little off topic;) If you intend to follow this blog, though, you will have to put up with my strange sense of humor at times. :)

So when I came into work on Monday morning and saw a gorgeous pile of newly handpainted Burly Spun (that is Brown Sheep's SUPER bulky yarn), done in absolutely rich fall colors, I was inspired. Hmmm...If you can't knit fast, you can knit efficient. By that I mean, choose projects that work up quickly by way of big needles and big yarn! That's my plan this year.

So I have 3 ideas for your holiday knitting that were inspired by the yarn... and here's the first one....

First of all, every time I see knitting or fiber art in print, period, regardless of the details, I get a little thrill. Do you know what I mean? It's not just because I find reading about knitting as much fun as actually doing it (true statement; you should see my knitting book collection:), but I love it when knitting appears in mainstream publications where you least expect it. Readers have an opportunity to be educated about the fact that knitting isn't just for sweet, white-haired grandmas (no offense to all of the sweet, white-haired grandma knitters that I know! You guys rock!) But speaking from the perspective of a knitter who hasn't reached that status yet, I enjoy every opportunity to break that stereotype; to point out that knitting is being done by men and women of all ages, children and teens...from all backgrounds, all personalities, all cultures and so on. You get the picture. I'm sure I take this all a bit too seriously, lol, but I must tell you that I feel it is my duty to point out that the one art form/craft I choose to spend a huge amount of my life on IS serious to me and deserves a little respect! ;)

In the article, the writer talks about why this stereotype even exists:

"'Knitting and handmade crafts fell out of fashion with the dawn of the first of three waves of feminism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and also coincided with industrialization and mass production. You could get things cheap, and knitting and sewing and those kinds of things were seen as the shackles of oppression that women were throwing off,' Gates said.

As a result some of these women had daughters who never learned the craft of knitting. Enter the second feminist wave in the 1960s and 1970s.

The third extends from the 1990s to the present when knitting came back into fashion. Young women against mass production wanted to learn the basics, and knitting became cool."

Well, being a hardcore feminist who happens to get pure enjoyment and comfort from many of the traditional, domestic arts (not ALL mind you, but many), it helps to understand where the shift in thinking came from (knowledge is power, right?), but it does not help me sleep better at night knowing the thing I love the most is still viewed by many men and women as something "old and boring and not worth the effort." (Yes, someone said that to me.) It just bothers me. Can't help it. Which brings me back to knitting in print..now can you see why I so enjoy a well written article that portrays another dimension of the craft and gives readers a different perspective?
Did you notice this part in the article?"In 2003, Betsy Greer, whose master’s dissertation at Goldsmith’s College in London was on knitting, do-it-yourself culture and community development, coined the term “craftivism,” a form of activism incorporating elements of anti-capitalism, environmentalism and the third-wave of feminism centering most notably around knitting." Betsy Greer's master's dissertation was on knitting...Yeah, that makes me extremely happy. Non-knitters reading this right now might be thinking, "You are kidding...what could she possibly write about?" There's more to it than you think, really. Trust me. ;)

The other theme of this article that got my attention was charity knitting...who's doing it, why, and for whom. I am part of a group that meets once a month for that very purpose. We work on a combination of local volunteer knitting/crocheting projects such as hats and scarves for homeless children through Monument Family Connections, and national volunteer knitting for projects like Operation Helmetliner, knitting and crocheting wool helmet liners for troops in Afghanistan and Irag through the organization Citizen Sam. I know for me it has helped immensely to have goals and to work on things as a group. I tend to accomplish more this way. But I also got to thinking about a term I heard not so long ago and how I could apply it in my life: microcharity.

What's microcharity? The idea is that one person simply gives to another in need, with no middle person or group involved. It's as simple as noticing that a child in your neighborhood has no mittens or that the elderly man always sitting at the bus stop could really use a winter hat. You knit it (or crochet it, or sew it or whatever), walk up to the person who needs it, and give it to them. Microcharity. Seems simple enough, doesn't it? And that's not to take away from what we do as a group, either in my own town or collective as a nation. But acting on your own, reaching out to those that you see in your world everyday in the simplest of ways, can be every bit as powerful. Who and what would you see if you stepped out the door tomorrow with that thought in mind? How would that change your perspective?

Thursday, November 5, 2009

If you have been out to the store recently, you may have noticed a felted bag setting on the table with various parts and pieces laying next to it.

This is a felted fall tote that I have been working on. It is a hybrid of the Oregon Tote and the Packy Sack, by Janet Scanlon of KnitKit. (I love her patterns!)

The fact that the bag has been laying on my work table for a week doesn't say so much about how busy I have been (which I have), but more so it's actually a glimpse into something I simply call my "process"...

Here's how it works:

#1. I get totally obsessed with a particular yarn, color, pattern, or original idea (or any combination of these) and I can't get it out of my mind until I get it on my needles.#2. I cast on and I knit like a mad woman because I can't wait to see how it's going to turn out.#3. I reach the point where I simply need to put on the finishing details and I will be DONE...this could be buttons, beads, needle felting, embroidery, handles, closures, lining, pockets, whatever......but then as quickly as it began, it all suddenly comes to a screeching halt.

Really. And it's not that I lose interest necessarily (although that happens too), it's just that finishing means making those creative decisions that need to be made. And making those creative decisions is the part I relish the most andthe part I resist the most. It's not that I can't make decisions, it's just that knitting is my art and it's quite personal (as any art is) and it has to reflect my vision and that isn't always easy to see from where I sit. I wish it was! (sometimes I get in my own way) I wish I could create without pause. But as a rule I don't.

So consequently there's a #4 to my process...And here it is:

#4. I have to have my unfinished work out in front of me in plain sight for sometimes weeks at a time while I decide what "to do" about the details. I will glance at it, stare at it, touch it, shove it out of my way, hold it, kick it, reposition it, try to ignore it...all the while formulating in my mind that final picture of what it should look like.

Doesn't everyone work this way?!? Or does it sound a bit OCD? Doesn't matter because I have come to know my process well, and any attempt to get around it or take short cuts doesn't work. I have had sweaters and bags and other things laying out for a year or more waiting for me to complete my process. ;) And then all of a sudden I am inspired and I can finish it! That's just my M.O.

So that brings me back to my fall tote and why I had to bring it to work....

Decisions, decisions...Will these handles look good? Do I use one leaf? Both? None?!? Needle felt branches for the leaves to hang off of? Flowers instead of leaves? Maybe i-cord for the branches? Pockets inside? Line it with a coordinating fabric? Leave it plain and simple?

The handles I have chosen are leather and I like the color (at least that's one decision made). They came attached to an old purse I bought at Good Will for $2.50. Leather handles purchased online run somewhere between $25.00 and $40.00.

(If you haven't already discovered it, second-hand stores can be an excellent source for all kinds of arts and endeavors- but more on that another day)

So stay tuned and throw your $.02 in, if you wish. What's your process? What motivates you to finally finish a project? I will eventually get it all put together and I will post the results (hopefully it won't take a year! lol:) I really want to put this bag in my fall display. In the meantime, if you come out to the store and still see the bag setting there, you will know why, right?

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Ok, so I have put this off long enough. I decided to start a blog. I have been thinking about it for a very long time in fact. The problem is I keep finding excuses not to publish my first post. I keep tweaking my settings, colors, gadgets and so on, and all the while tell myself I will post something when I get this all "just right". It's a bigger deal than I thought, going "live" with your words and your life, isn't it? My heart is actually pounding. How funny. Well nonetheless, here we go...I am taking the plunge...

And it seems only fitting to begin with a recent event that I am quite proud to be a part of:

The website for the fair is still under construction, but I will soon have a photo gallery set up there soon, as well as next year's date, vendor and demonstrator applications, etc....so visit often for updated information. It will be there eventually, I promise!

But just to give you an overall idea of the day, here are a few pictures that Kendall, my daughter, took for me:

These are some of the items that we collected for our display boards. Fiber art encompasses so many different things, and our goal here was to show the public what is being done with yarn, fabric, roving, thread and much more.

Fiber fairs and festivals can be found all year round in almost every single state. In fact there are over 70 different events held around the country every year! I was actually surprised by that number. However, after a bit of research, we realized Nebraska, Wyoming, Kansas, and Colorado were not among the states that host a big fiber art event. So we, { Myself, Peggy Wells, Vice President of Brown Sheep Co., and Cher Maybee, Owner of Barn Anew Bed and Breakfast,) decided to remedy that...

In 5 short months we were able pull together vendors, demonstrators, and breeders from 4 different states to come and participate in our first fair. And I must say, the turnout was unbelievable!!

Vendors sold everything from hand spun, hand dyed yarns and supplies, to beautiful finished works of wearable art.

Here I am (in the brown shirt) looking on with another participant, as Deb Barrett, from

And I could go on and on! We also had demonstrators for crocheting, needlepoint, weaving, needle felting and more.

In addition, the breeders brought fiber animals for everyone to pet, interact with, and learn about. Here are a few of them:

From the top down: alpaca, angora goats, French angora rabbit, and a yak

There are so many pictures to share, which is why I will be putting more on the website as I get that figured out! (As it turns out, that website may just be my nemesis, but I will keep at it, so don't give up on me! :)

I think everyone enjoyed and learned something new that day. We had people attending from 14 different states and estimate that over 1000 participants walked through the doors that day. We were truly amazed at the turn out! I believe this area was really ready for this type of event.

The opportunity to be a part of all of that truly warmed this knitter's soul. I am right where I belong at the moment. Can you tell I love what I do?

Thank you again to all who participated and made this possible!

I would love to hear your thoughts on the fair, this blog, or any other fiber related adventure you'd like to share!

I will leave you with a couple quotes that have been especially meaningful to me in the last year or so (they currently adorn the top of my computer):

When you follow your bliss...doors will open where you would not have thought there would be doors...and where there wouldn't be a door for anyone else.

--Unknown

Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not...genius will not...education will not...persistence and determination are omnipotent.